Thursday 11 October 2007

They're Back

Most coffeeshops nowadays will have even a small selection of syrup flavourings to put in your coffee. I can't abide them. Partly because they promote the creation of very strange flavours of coffee - I was once in an M&S Cafe Revive with my dad and he was persuaded by a very persistent coffee girl to add a shot of orange flavour syrup to his cappuccino (yuck! yuck! yuck!) - but also because I don't have sugar in my coffee so I don't like any sweetener added. (I also went through a phase of no milk either, but I'm over that now except for the occasional early morning kick start).

However, I will happily have a sweet accompaniment - a danish, a cookie, or a muffin. Of course, you can't beat a bar of chocolate, and for years, in my opinion, you couldn't beat a Cadbury's Wispa. Then they just disappeared from our shelves. Just like the Gambit bar (half milk chocolate, half dark - anyone remember that?), the Wispa seemed destined to never be enjoyed again.

I bet you can guess where I'm going with this.

A few days ago as I was walking down the street my eye caught a glimpse of a dark blue wrapper with red and gold lettering. A Wispa? Can't be? Where did that come from? Has there been a whole in the space-time continuum (whatever that means) and an empty wrapper has floated into existence? Rushing to the nearest sweet shop (a much better word than convenience store when reminiscing about childhood things) I scanned the racks of chocolate in the vain hope that something wonderful should appear. Alas, no.

I thought it best to explain to the shopkeeper what I was searching for so I didn't look stupid. And then - joy of joys - the reply came that indeed Cadbury's had come to their senses and relaunched the Wispa! Their stock had sold out within hours and it would be a few days until they returned.

Today was that day. Wispa was in stock. I bought three just to be on the safe side.

Immediately my mind went back to my schoolboy days of the mid eighties. Coming home from school I would make a cup of coffee (I guess I did start young) and enjoy the Wispa that I had bought from the school tuck shop. (I bet they don't even have tuck shops in schools anymore, tut). The whole experience being rounded off with some watching Philip Schofield in a broom cupboard.


By the way, Wispas also work well with tea.

By the way again, Cadbury are only dong a limited run to see if this most excellent of chocolate bars is still viable. Perhaps tomorrow I'll buy three more. Maybe you should too.

9 comments:

Ali said...

Loved Wispas ... the way they melted on your tongue when taken with a cup of tea!!

Give me a Wispa over an Aero anyday (even if Aero is advertised by a rather hunky scantily dressed Adonis)

Well, that's tomorrow sorted ...

Ali said...

Look what I came across today:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/we-want-cadbury-wispa-forever.html

Cosmo said...

Ali,

You got me all confused with your name change.

Thanks for the link to petition.

Duely signed!

By the way, just like the current Aero ad, Cadbury used a little seduction in their original ad campaign for Wispa - only it was with Ruth Madoc!!!

Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQVJWd22GHU

Ali said...

Success!

Went into the Post Office this morning to post a parcel and was met by a WALL of Wispa bars!

So here I am, mug of tea in one hand Wispa bar in the other ...

thanks for the tip off :-)

Guy said...

hello,
I saw you in Rathmines the other day, and said a brief hello. judging by your reaction, you recognized me a little bit but didn't quite know me! Just to clarify, i'm in 4th year in High School, and i enjoy your regular visits to our assembly.
Just thought i would clear things up in case you thought i was just a randomer saying hi to you in rathmines!
guy

Cosmo said...

Hi there, Guy!

Yes, I guessed when you said hello the other day that you were probably a HSD student - sorry, I didn't know your name! (Even if you weren't a HSD student it is always nice to say hello to randomers in Rathmines).

Thanks for visiting my blog again. It's always nice to get comments. Please keep visiting.

Maybe you could start you own blog about random people you say hello to!

I'll look out for you around town next time! God bless!

Ali said...

It's becoming a bit of an obsession ...

http://www.sweetieworld.co.uk/chocolate_bars/wispa_box/

Nick Coke said...

Yes! I remember the Gambit. However, no-one else does. I've been reminding people of it for years and they all look at me as if I'm strange.

Cosmo said...

Hi Nick,

I'm glad someone else remembers Gambit. I wonder if they stoped making them because it was only you and me buying them?

Now, I really must get to writing a new entry to record our escapeds this week!